Trip: Edinburgh

Kensington Chub here!

I know I said 'see you Wednesday' at the close of the last post but after getting here I thought this city needed a post of its own. To say the least, I am impressed with Edinburgh. It has all the classic looks and feel of the filial society with old buildings, tiny roads and classic ‘old world style.

When we arrived today by train from Birmingham, we went to get a cab and told him where we were headed. He promptly kicked us out of his cab. Apparently al we needed to do was walk up the stairs. Our hotel was literally next door to the train station. What we didn’t know was that is about 4 flights of stairs…and for me, with 2 heavy suitcases, my arms were burning!

We checked into the hotel which is the same chain as the first hotel we stayed in.

I have been collecting bars of soap from hotels I have stayed at. I have collected maybe 10 or so bars over the past year and was hoping to add to my collection on this trip. Today was supposed to be #3 but since it’s the same hotel chain it is the same soap brand as well…

We got on another “city tour” bus and took a journey around the old town. I am all about it. There are too many words to describe it, so may that I can’t think of them all…any. I think I will have to let the pictures do the talking. Besides, the pictures were the reason I was posting again so soon. I want you to see what I saw.

We toured on the bus saw the town, decided on the places we wanted to visit tomorrow and then walked some of the streets. Just down the road from our hotel there is a large tower...


...that was erected in maybe 1866 to the memory of Sir Walter Scott, 287 steps and 200 feet to the top. He wrote some poems and books and got King George to come visit Scotland, the first monarch in 200 years to do so.

For some reason as I stood there looked up at this monument, it called my name. “Caleb, climb up here and check it out.” I listened. Dad elected not to venture to the top. Once i had ascended to the top the scenery was spectacular.

I snapped a few photos and invariably did this landscape a grave injustice.

This is a picture of a few of those stairs. At the very top I had to turn sideways because it got so narrow.

This is the local castle. Dandylions...which is pronounced daffodils, in bloom and everything!

On a funny note, out here in Britain when an apartment or office has space available, the signs all say, To Let. My dad pointed out that with a can of spray paint a juvenile mind as my own could turn every sign into ToiLet.

I mean, there is a space there to insert the “I” already! I can imagine a night of mayhem and newspaper headlines talking about the ‘Toilet Tagger” running amuck amongst the Britons.

That is all for now.